


ad infinitum

by identityv



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, mayoi is trans because i say so, tatsumi is a demon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/identityv/pseuds/identityv
Summary: Ayase Mayoi is twenty-one years old when he is offered up to the God of Wishes, an ancient being the cult his family is a part of worships. But things aren't quite as he expected.
Relationships: Ayase Mayoi/Kazehaya Tatsumi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36





	ad infinitum

Mayoi stumbled along the undergrowth, biting his bottom lip as he ignored the stinging brambles cutting into the soles of his feet. He was covered in cuts everywhere, really, but the plain white ritual gown he wore was pristine. That was the only important part. He just needed to keep his face and clothes pristine. That was part of the test.

Ayase Mayoi was twenty-one years old, and was selected just a week prior as the next sacrifice for the God of Wishes. Though he knows deep-down that this was his intended fate since birth. Scorned from childhood by his parents for straying from their intended path for him, he was simply an ugly stain on their reputation in their group.

“ _ She’s a little off, but it doesn’t matter. Our Lord accepts all. _ ”

Mayoi’s mind buzzed. Tradition says that every five years, on her twenty-first birthday, one of the virgin maidens from the Ayase cult is to be gifted to the God of Wishes. In return, he will grant a single wish to the cult head. This was all wrong; he was not a girl, and he was not pure in any manner. Their God will be furious for sure. Nonetheless, despite his pleading he was chosen.

Breaking through the woodline at last, Mayoi arrived at his destination. A dilapidated cathedral rose before him, separated from the mainland by a circular body of water, only connected to the surrounding woods by a singular stone bridge. He could see the stone walls crumbling and decorative statues broken to pieces, though, strangely, the stained glass windows remained. He was sure it was a lovely place of worship back in its prime. But this was strange…

All of the manuscripts and artwork Mayoi had examined had revealed to him that this God of Wishes was not a god at all, but a demon; a dark being enslaved to their cult leader centuries in the past. The ritual grounds being this ancient cathedral… was it this being’s decision? Or some twisted joke by his ancestors?

Mayoi didn’t want to go inside of the building, fearful of the creature he was sure lurked inside, but he was even more afraid of the consequences of turning back, so he carried on, legs trembling as he stepped onto the bridge. Massive holes and deep gashes in the stone below his feet made the purple-haired man worried that the bridge might just fall out from under him as soon as he set his weight on it, but the bridge stayed, and Mayoi crossed over safely.

Closer to the cathedral now, Mayoi noticed a certain heaviness in his chest; in the atmosphere around the building in general. He wasn’t welcome here, he was certain, and as he passed some of the statues lining the front garden, he noticed something. They hadn’t been broken down with age, no-- the heads and limbs looked as if they were cleanly cut off, or perhaps hit with something, and the material was gouged with deep-set parallel lines. He didn’t want to think about what left those markings.

Mayoi couldn’t stop shaking as he neared the entrance. The double doors before him were absolutely massive, and the smell of rotting wood assaulted his senses. It was like the cathedral was locked in time, ancient and dying yet some otherworldly force refused to release its hold.

With a deep breath and some effort, Mayoi pushed on the door, the hinges moaning sickeningly as he made a gap big enough to step inside.

He couldn’t suppress a gasp as he raised his gaze, taking in the interior of the cathedral. It was a massive space, old candelabras lining a faded, worn red rug that ran down the entire length of the center room. Mayoi had expected to see pews, and there were such furnishings, but many of them looked like they had been carelessly pushed or kicked to the sides of the rooms, and as such there was a great emptiness in front of him. A massive hole had reduced most of the roof to rubble, a blue, ethereal glow brightening the entire chamber, the moon just barely within view.

As Mayoi followed the moon’s light down from the roof, his whole body froze. There, in front of the altar at the opposite end of the room, was a figure, their back turned to him. A cracked halo floated behind their head, its dim illumination giving Mayoi a peek of their hair color; an interesting sort of light teal-blue. Wings obscured most of their figure, the dim lighting of the room making it hard to pick out what color they were, though Mayoi was sure they were feathered wings.

Feathered wings and a halo… A cathedral.. Was this God of Wishes really a demon..?

Mayoi looked back up, a frightened yelp escaping him when he noticed that the being had disappeared from the altar.

“They’ve done it again…” A low voice suddenly murmured into his left ear, and Mayoi whipped around and stumbled backwards, crying out fearfully as the demon- angel?- suddenly appeared behind him. “Be not afraid.”

_ Be not afraid? _ How could Mayoi do that?! He continued to stumble back, his heel catching on a hole in the rug, falling back with a cry as he landed on his back, head cracking against the cold brick painfully. His head spun as he laid there, helpless as the being stood over him and leaned, that strange cracked halo outlining the moon above perfectly.

“You are…” The being took his features in from head to toe, a deep glow in the depths of his dark lavender eyes. It was mesmerizing. “...Ayase Mayoi.”

“Y..You know.. m-my name?” It was a miracle he could even speak with how much his head hurt. Just being near this creature made his mind throb, the oppressive air around him making it difficult to even breathe.

“Yes. I probed your thoughts. Most maidens are too fearful of me to even give me their names, but I find it impolite to address you as a simple mortal.”

“I’m not a  _ maiden _ ,” Mayoi suddenly snapped, clapping his hands over his mouth as soon as the words left his tongue. Oh, no. No, no, no. He shouldn’t have said that. Now, the demon won’t want him, and his entire family is going to die.

The man over him cocked his head, slitted pupils seemingly searching for something as he gazed intently into Mayoi’s eyes. Mayoi found that he couldn’t bear to break eye contact. “You’re…? Oh.  _ Oh _ . I see now.”

“D-Did you look into my mind again..?”

“Oh, no, Mayoi-san. Well… a little, but only so I could understand. You are not the first mortal I’ve met to feel such a way towards your identity.” He looked away from Mayoi, straightening up and taking a step back, looking almost… regretful. “...That rule of ‘virgin maidens’ and such… was only to lessen the casualties of my contract.”

“...Y-You mean the agreement with my ancestors?”

The other man laughed as soon as Mayoi uttered the question; a sharp, cold sound that chilled him to the bone. The oppressive atmosphere thickened for a moment before returning to normal, a smile gracing the demon’s lips, so gentle that Mayoi wasn’t sure if he’d imagined that sudden anger or if it’d been real.

“...Yes. The agreement.”

There was a silence. Mayoi squirmed uncomfortably, the throbbing in his skull letting up enough for him to rise in a sitting position. “What will… happen now? Can I- are you going to kill me? E-Eat me? Have your way with me?”

The demon sighed softly. “I.. will do none of those things, though your family dearly wishes me to. If I send you home, claiming you were not to my taste, they will kill you and cook you into a banquet for me. If I did not like your attitude, they will preserve you into a doll. Quiet and pliant.”

He looked disgusted. “...I.. have never touched a single person like that. I.. I cannot allow you to die in vain for your family’s selfish gains. So I cannot allow you to leave this place. I can grant you a swift end here and now, if that’s what you so desire.”

The demon looked down at him with a great sadness in his eyes, an indescribable loneliness. “...What’s your name? You… You mentioned, um.... it being impolite. Calling your guests mortals.. But you haven’t told me yours… Should I just call you my Lo-”

“No. Please don’t.” The demon cut him off before he could even finish speaking, feathers ruffled. “...Tatsumi. I went by that name for a time, while I was… still free. It would bring me great happiness if you were to refer to me as that.”

Tatsumi? The name felt rather pleasant on his tongue. “Okay.. T-Tatsumi-san. You’re not going to kill or eat me… so… what now?”

“The second level of this cathedral has a dormitory. I am certain you are exhausted. Please… rest, and leave me. I will prepare the necessary accommodations to keep you comfortable during your time here.”

Tatsumi held out his hand for Mayoi, the shorter suddenly realizing that the other’s fingers were tipped with sharp nails. He thought back to the statues. What was going on here? Tatsumi was so gentle to him, but he could tell that the demon had an internal turmoil raging in his heart.

Mayoi took Tatsumi’s hand, a chill running up his arm. He was so cold. Freezing, even. But Tatsumi was gentle in hauling Mayoi up to his feet, taking care to ensure that his claws didn’t pierce Mayoi’s skin.

“..Whatever room you choose to stay in, there will be clothes to your liking to change into. It gets cold around these parts, especially during the night.” Tatsumi spoke the words like a promise; that he would be comfortable here. To present how he would like.

Mayoi had to figure out what was going on. For himself, and for Tatsumi. He had a lot of time to get to the bottom of this, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! updates may be slow bc i get writer's block often but i will try my best <3  
> no beta we die like writers


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